I have had my own attempt at this. I would like to go into relative detail to how I came about creating what I did. After observing the vehicles already entered, I decided not to formally enter myself, but instead just share my design and thoughts. My reason for not entering was that Alias and Foursh have already completed the 'design brief' and I wish not to continue development of my craft. I present the YB-VTOL Mk1, the name says it all. ('YB' meaning experimental.) The inspiration for this aircraft was the fact of the 'limitations' by Alias' and Foursh's designs. Those in my observable opinion being, they were too complex, too fuel thirsty and too heavy. Aside from that, they were excellent craft, and I mean no harm to the designers, as im just pointing out all designs have draw-backs and advantages. With my design, I am proud to say, I have killed many birds with 1 stone. (No birds were actually harmed in the making.) These are: - Fuel consumption drastically reduced - Simplicity slightly increased - Weight drastically reduced - Stability during flight extremely good - Any and all balance issues that other designs face are fixed However with every design there are problems that are created due to this arrangement. These are: - Complicated to land - Shortened range (Estimated 400km range, untested as of yet) - Must use ASAS system in order to land Stable hovering on a full load of fuel uses 0.2-0.3L/sec of fuel. And using two 400L tanks this gives the YB-VTOL 44 estimated Minutes of hover time! The time from hover to forward flight is tiny. The transition time is so small, you can be hovering, and just slam down the 'W' key until you hit 10 degrees and be flying. Personally I believe this is a major benefit of this layout, over other designs. As this most likely would be a military aircraft, maneuverability is key for me. Statistics: Weight: 10.07 tons (Almost half of the lightest entry so far!) Maximum take off weight: 15 tons (VTOL) Range: 739.92km @ 10km, 709.92km @ 10km 'safe' range Fuel consumption @ VTOL: 0.2-0.3L/sec = 44 minutes hover time Fuel consumption @ Cruise speed: 0.2-0.3L/sec Fuel consumption @ Full throttle: 0.4L/sec (Under half of the least thirsty entry so far!) Top speed: 370m/s @ 10km Please remember I have not formally entered the challenge, I just want to share a little my endeavor with VTOL. Although I encourage any comments =].
